Sid Meier's SimGolf

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First alien civilization, and now the perfect putt? Put on your white shoes, folks.

By IGN Staff

E3 2001

We thought it could have been dinosaurs. Maybe aliens. Possibly historical combat using mythical creatures. But golf? You heard that right -- the mastermind behind Civilization, Pirates!, Alpha Centauri and a slew of other games has decided to collaborate with Will Wright of SimCity and Sims fame to create the ultimate golfing simulation. After rumors that Meier had been seen at Maxis, and that Meier was using Wright's knowledge of the Sim genre to create his own sort of Sim type game, Meier has stumped everyone by showing that the only simulated civilization you'll be crafting in his newest creation is the pink-shirted kind.

Don't go breaking out your golfing caps just yet, because when we say simulation, we don't mean trying to lower your par -- we're talking about the creation, maintenance and survival of your very own golf course. Like other games with the Sim label, this is about creating an environment, in this case a golf course. You'll pick from 16 different locations, from the British Isles to Hawaii, and it will be up to you to create the land, deal with natural environmental problems like, say, lava, and create a tourist locale like no other.

Like any Sim game, you'll be able to create your environment from scratch, building simple holes and a few small support buildings to begin with, then upgrading and adding onto your creation until you've got a resort to brag about. Hotels, ball washers, an airstrip, snack bars and full-on resorts are just some of the additions you can make after you've sand trapped and water bunked your way through the design of a course. You'll also have to hire maintenance staff to keep the greens green and the water blue, not to mention the snack bar stocked. Once you've built a beginning design for a course, it's time to let in the golfers, the main focus of the game. Each golfer will have his or her own personality and needs, and whether or not they return and spend more money on your course depends on whether you give them the services they desire -- in this case, a course that's the right level of difficulty, and a set of services that makes them feel like the upper-class SUV driving CEO they are. You'll be able to track their happiness and moods throughout the game, so if they've got problems, you'll be able to instantly change things to make for a more suitable golfing experience.

If Roller Coaster Tycoon has taught Sim designers anything, it's that people want to play with their toys. So in that vein, you'll be able to actually jump into your own character and play through golf courses in an attempt to win yourself money towards making the course even more picture perfect. At times throughout the game, a golf pro will challenge you to a round on your own course, and you'll be able to walk through a full 18 with your character, choosing the general sort of shot and guiding your character to the winner's cup. Don't expect full-on simulation, or even mini-golf style control for that matter, but you'll be able to give your onscreen golfer some general commands to follow, like how hard to light to hit the ball. After each round you'll be awarded experience points depending on how well you played, and you'll be able to allocate those points to your golfer, upping their put, drive, or chip. Win a course, however, and you'll gain money along with the experience points, a nice tidy profit that you can then put back into the course. Play well enough, and you'll even be able to host tournaments and play even more difficult golfers (for even more cash money, of course).

After some long talks with the Maxis tribe about the finer points of sim-strategy design, Meier's been hard at work on the game for a while now, so in the new age tradition of games like Sacrifice, the announcement is actually (gasp!) pretty close to the release date. Get your allergy medication out, and get ready for the smell of freshly mown grass this fall.